2018 WSBK testing: Sykes prioritizes triple champion Rea…

Testing resumed in World Superbike! Gathered Tuesday and Wednesday in Jerez (Spain), the main riders have found their racing motorcycles. Best time on the first day, n ° 1 Rea finally finished behind his teammate Kawasaki n ° 66 Sykes. Baz and his BMW n ° 76 are in 12th position. Debriefing.

The year 2017 ended at the end of November for the WorldSBK, in the southern tip of Spain, on the Jerez circuit. At the end of a week of "autumn" tests, Jonathan Rea, freshly re-crowned (!) Was logically at the top of the timesheet…

"After a long difficult season, my energy level is rather low," said the three-time world champion. "We have completed our program for the week and I" am delighted. I will now take some rest, relax and prepare for 2018 ".

As a reminder, the n ° 1 of the Kawasaki factory team had covered the 4423 meters of the Andalusian route in less than a minute and thirty-eight seconds. However a few weeks earlier on the same circuit, Marco Melandri and his Ducati Panigale had won the Superpole by passing just below the 1 ’39 mark..

Author of a very exact 1 ‘37.986, the ruthless "JR" had climbed last November to three tenths of a second behind MotoGP vice-champion Andrea Dovizioso and his Desmosedici! Unlike the Grand Prix Ducati with which it shared the track, the Ninja took advantage of a qualifying tire to complete its record lap … Johnny’s performance is nonetheless impressive..

After two months of hiatus and only one month before the early opening in Australia – it will be summer again! – for the new World Superbike season, the major World Superbike teams met on the same Jerez circuit to stretch the pistons of their Kawasaki, Ducati, Yamaha, Aprilia, BMW, MV Agusta, Honda … The only thing missing was the Suzuki of the Grillini team !

Without – good or bad – surprises, the Kawasaki factory team once again stood out by posting its two machines at the head of the two six-hour driving sessions (Tuesday and Wednesday). Even constrained at 14,000 rpm, the ZX-10RR continues to destroy the morale of their opponents…

Second on the first day behind the invincible (?) Rea, Tom Sykes however managed to dislodge his teammate from "his" first place on the second day … by putting on a qualifying tire! The 2013 WSBK champion assures us that on a racing tire, too, he was the fastest. Confirmation the last weekend of February, at Phillip Island ?!

The big and excellent surprise of the results of this first winter test in World SBK comes from a Yamaha rider. In the coup last November (3rd Superbike lap behind the Kawa), Alex Lowes only got 8th time this Wednesday, just ahead of his teammate Michael van der Mark…

It was Niccolo Canepa, test rider for the official Yamaha Pata team in WSBK and – above all – 2017 world endurance champion with the GMT94, who stood out by placing third in these tests: proof, s ‘it needed one, that the most enduring pilots in the world are also among the fastest !

The Italian rider has received many warm congratulations on the web: "I do not understand why Yamaha Pata does not hire you full time, their titular riders are not as fast", even encourages Alex "Fair Play" Lowes on Twitter.

Author of several fourth places on the only MV Agusta on the grid in 2017, Leon Camier completed these first 2018 tests on the Honda in fourth place as well. The English n ° 2 dreams of getting back on the podium in the race. That’s why he reviewed the chassis, electronics and a new exhaust on the Fireblade. !

Honda’s other new recruit this year, Jake Gagne, finished a distant but logical 17th place: coming straight from the American Superbike, the n ° 45 does not know Jerez by heart, unlike the majority of his European competitors. He seems diligent, hardworking and motivated. So worthy to take over from the late Nicky Hayden.

For the Bologna Reds this time, the drivers have not changed this winter. On the other hand, director Ernesto Marinelli left, after 22 years at Ducati, to take care of the Termignoni pots … The sympathetic and charismatic WSBK team leader will therefore not live from the inside the last season of the Panigale "V2 "nor the premiere of the V4 in 2019…

Eager to play the title until the end this year, Marco Melandri hopes that the Italian factory will still continue to work on its "old" machine, in particular on its engine. Fifth of these tests, the n ° 33 is only three tenths of a second from its "Number One" target. A good start ?

For his part, Chaz Davies finished in 13th place which may seem disappointing, but will perhaps bring him luck? Dropped a second from his teammate, the Welsh "Lucky Number Seven" is currently competing in another race against time: he has one month to fully recover from the injuries he has been trailing for two months….

Note that in the inspiration and inspiration of "Davies-iozo", is Michael Rinaldi: winner of the STK1000 2017 cup on the Panigale R, the 22-year-old Italian driver will participate this season in all European races in the World Superbike within the "Junior" team.

Lorenzo Zanetti’s 18th place would be anecdotal if the former Supersport star had not turned on a very special fourth Ducati: the prototype of the Panigale V4 "R" which, like any 4-cylinder registered in the Superbike category, will not have to not cubing more than 1000 cc !

Among the neighbors Aprilia, the RSV4, which has already proven its worth with Biaggi (2010 and 2012 champion) and "our" dear Guintoli (2014 champion), still does not manage to match the Kawasaki. Lorenzo Savadori especially, fails in a worrying 19th place…

According to the boss of the Aprilia Milwaukee team, however, there is precisely nothing to worry about, quite the contrary: Shaun Muir indeed believes that taking into account the tire liners, his two foals would claim the 2nd and 4th of the testing. Hard to believe, isn’t it ?

Holder of the sixth best time, just one second behind leader Tom Sykes, so four tenths behind the reigning triple world champion, Eugene Laverty is more measured than his "boss" in his statement (see MNC translations of the drivers’ reactions, below).

The Irish No. 50 believes he still needs to fine-tune the settings and balance of his machine to make progress. He also suggests that his small size handicapped him on the Spanish track which was a little too "green". He and his wife Pippa will have to prepare some good "big" meals the rest of this winter. !

Although Laverty considers that riders taller and heavier than him were favored in the search for grip, especially rear, the tallest rider on the field did not particularly shine in these first tests of the year….

Reduced in the World Superbike category to a single rider – yes, but what a tall, handsome and strong rider! – the BMW Althea team is nevertheless delighted with the work accomplished by "our" international Loris. For his Italian employers, the stopwatch was not a priority … But it will quickly become so again, beware !

The former BMW driver n ° 81, Jordi Torres can for his part and for the moment congratulate himself on having changed his mount: at the controls of his MV Agusta, the "Spanish Elvis" has sneaked up to 7th place of the rank. He is ahead of Lowes and VD Mark, the only two riders to share the podium with the Ducati and Kawasaki riders last year..

The winter testing of the 2018 World Superbike season – the 31st season in history, the 14th to follow on Site! – will continue on January 28 and 29 in Portimao (Portugal).

Superbike rider statements

Tom Sykes, Kawasaki n ° 66 (1st):
"It’s true that we used a qualifying tire (rear odnc, editor’s note) for our best time, but we used it with a worn front tire. I had a small crash and I have to congratulate the guys from the team because they transferred the suspension and everything else to the second bike (beware, only one bike on WSBK race weekends) and I went back to the track to test something else. straight away in fantastic lap times. I even think we were also the fastest on racing tires, but that was not the goal. The objective was to understand the bike, and I have to say that I am very happy to our performance, including on badly worn tires. Even though the bike is moving in these conditions the lap times are good. I clearly have a better idea of ​​how to ride it, and I have a different this year. I can’t wait to finish testing and go to Australia. I think we are more prepared and ready for action ".

Jonathan Rea, Kawasaki n ° 1 (2nd):
“I started to feel a little better today. It’s not that I forgot how to ride, but it feels a little weird to go really fast. Our day has been positive again. We have managed to confirm a lot of things and regain confidence. There is still a bit of work to be done but I think our pace is pretty good. I didn’t do a lot of laps outside of the 1 ’40 today, which is positive. There wasn’t much to try, it was more of a test of preparation. In fact, it was about understanding how the bike performed because the track is certainly not as fast as it is. ‘in November. So we had to adapt. It was important for me to do long outings: it’s good to always be fast, it’s even better to prepare for the race ".

Leon Camier, Honda n ° 2 (4th):
"I’m really happy with the way this test went: we’ve made good progress and I’m learning more and more about the bike. There are still a lot of things I would like to work on in the next one. test in Portimao and I think as I ride different circuits that I will be able to get the most out of our set. I look forward to doing more long rides in the next tests as they will help me understand the handling riding a whole race. Overall I learned a lot over the past two days, I feel good and I am a lot more comfortable on the Fireblade. We just have to keep working hard in the testing at come".

Marco Melandri, Ducati n ° 33 (5th):
“This test has been positive overall, although we still have a lot of work to do. We have improved in some areas, but we need to improve even more. We have ridden on race tires and with them the The gap is not huge, but we want to climb other steps. We have to focus in particular on the engine for which we hope to receive some technical updates before the start of the season, as well as on the transmission. still interesting to try the current characteristics of the bike on a track as different as that of Portimao ".

Eugene Laverty, Aprilia n ° 50 (6th):
"It was a very good test overall. Tuesday was frustrating because the time was respectable, but the rear grip was bad: I knew we could improve with more grip. Wednesday was a good day, we had had a good time and I’m really happy with the way the whole team worked to progress. Turning in the end in 1 ‘39.876 was a big step forward and we are now in the game. There is still work to be done. to do, we are in the place but we can do even better. What made the difference for me was the work of the rear tire on the track. Some taller riders do not struggle less because their weight is a help, but for me, who is short, it is more difficult. The rear tire was a problem for us in 2017: not in terms of endurance, but in terms of traction which we did not enjoy. We overcame this by changing the distribution of the bike and entering a bend. We can get even better. I knew Jerez would be the most important part of the pre-season testing because the bike has to be quick here to work. We are heading towards Portimao, it is a circuit that I know very well and I have some secrets there to get the lap times. It was a key day for us, we have halved the gap with the outposts, and it’s not over yet ".

Alex Lowes, Yamaha n ° 22 (8th):
“Both of my bikes were overhauled this winter, so we thoroughly checked everything which meant we started off slow. But by the end of the day we had done a lot of good work. We looked to improve the entry into the curve and my confidence, and I think we did some good things. It was a positive day and I enjoyed getting back on the bike. We wanted to continue that way on the second day, we had new parts. to try. It’s good to meet the guys. Everything is fine ".

Loris Baz, BMW n ° 76 (12th):
"The test went pretty well, it was busy but we learned a lot. I’m gradually starting to understand the bike, the settings, etc. I’m very happy with the work we’ve done here. I’m still struggling with it. new tires and soft gums, but I’m not particularly worried: it’s just the beginning. We hope to improve further in Portimao and then in Australia of course. ".

Chaz Davies, Ducati n ° 7 (13th):
“The damaged knee and shoulder last November are still not in perfect shape, but anyway, I knew before I came here that there is still room for improvement on the physical level. We have done most of it. a lot of work and we were able to test some important things, including something we hadn’t tried here in November, yet the feedback has been positive. Unfortunately, Jerez isn’t the best way to assess some of the stuff we’ve tried. . I struggled a bit with the new surface. In terms of pace we are not far, but we have to improve on the fast lap. We know where we need to improve, and we will look for ways to do it at Portimao ".

Jake Gagne, Honda # 45 (17th):
“I have constantly improved in Jerez. It was really good to be back in the team and to work with my new boss Mick. We made a few modifications to the bike to suit my riding style. , and I managed to make sure I got the most out of the Honda. I really learned a lot over the past two days. The main thing for me was not to make big mistakes and just focus on the exploiting the potential of the bike. Although my lap times are not quite up to par I am really happy with how Jerez has gone. The team and I will continue to advance in the next tests. ".

Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia n ° 32 (19th):
“It was a very busy test and taught us some useful information about the bike. We tried out many different configurations and parts, taking advantage of our experience from last year to move forward on our project for 2018. I find that the pace is better, I am very comfortable on the bike and we also improved our corner entries. I would still like to have more feedback from the bike, but the RSV4-RF is not to its final setup and we have a lot of data to mine. I look forward to the next test in Portimao. We have another very busy schedule to wrap up and new things to try. It is important for me to prepare as much as possible. things to be in the best possible position on Phillip Island ".

First WorldSBK 2018 tests in Jerez

Chronos of Wednesday January 24

1. Tom SYKES – Kawasaki n ° 66 (SBK): 1 ‘38,889 —
2. Jonathan REA – Kawasaki n ° 1 (SBK): 1 ‘39.470 + 0.581
3. Nicolo CANEPA – Yamaha n ° 59 (SBK): 1 ‘39.524 + 0.635
4. Leon CAMIER – Honda n ° 2 (SBK): 1 ‘39.608 + 0.719
5. Marco MELANDRI – Ducati n ° 33 (SBK): 1 ‘39,754 + 0,865
6. Eugene LAVERTY – Aprilia n ° 50 (SBK): 1 ‘39.876 + 0.987
7. Jordi TORRES – MV Agusta n ° 81 (SBK): 1 ‘40,155 + 1,266
8. Alex LOWES – Yamaha n ° 22 (SBK): 1 ‘40.398 + 1.509
9. Michael VD MARK – Yamaha n ° 60 (SBK): 1 ‘40.532 + 1.643
10. Leon HASLAM – Kawasaki n ° 91 (BSB): 1 ‘40.576 + 1.687
11. Leandro MERCADO – Kawasaki n ° 36 (SBK): 1 ‘40,639 + 1,750
12. Loris BAZ – BMW n ° 76 (SBK): 1 ‘40,707 + 1,818
13. Chaz DAVIES – Ducati n ° 7 (SBK): 1 ‘40,723 + 1,834
14. Michael RINALDI – Ducati n ° 21 (SBK): 1 ‘40,862 + 1,973
15. Luke MOSSEY – Kawasaki n ° 12 (BSB): 1 ‘41.038 + 2.149
16. Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU – Kawasaki n ° 54 (SBK): 1 ‘41,114 + 2,225
17. Jacob WINS – Honda n ° 45 (SBK): 1 ‘41,200 + 2,311
18. Lorenzo ZANETTI – Ducati (V4!) N ° 87 (STK): 1 ‘41,226 + 2,337
19. Lorenzo SAVADORI – Aprilia n ° 32 (SBK): 1 ‘41,411 + 2,522
20. Yonny HERNANDEZ – Kawasaki n ° 68 (SBK): 1 ‘41,807 + 2,918
21. Ondrej JEZEK – Yamaha n ° 37 (SBK): 1 ‘43.876 + 4.987

Chronos of Tuesday 23 January

1. Jonathan REA – Kawasaki n ° 1 (SBK): 1 ‘39,862 —
2. Alex LOWES – Yamaha n ° 22 (SBK): 1 ‘40.064 + 0.202
3. Tom SYKES – Kawasaki n ° 66 (SBK): 1 ‘40.178 + 0.316
4. Marco MELANDRI – Ducati n ° 33 (SBK): 1 ‘40.238 + 0.376
5. Chaz DAVIES – Ducati n ° 7 (SBK): 1 ‘40,704 + 0,842
6. Michael VD MARK – Yamaha n ° 60 (SBK): 1 ‘40.758 + 0.896
7. Eugene LAVERTY – Aprilia n ° 50 (SBK): 1 ‘40.775 + 0.913
8. Leon CAMIER – Honda n ° 2 (SBK): 1 ‘40,888 + 1,026
9. Lorenzo SAVADORI – Aprilia n ° 32 (SBK): 1 ‘41.038 + 1.177
10. Loris BAZ – BMW n ° 76 (SBK): 1 ‘41,129 + 1,267
11. Michael RINALDI – Ducati n ° 21 (SBK): 1 ‘41,202 + 1,340
12. Jordi TORRES – MV Agusta n ° 81 (SBK): 1 ‘41.314 + 1.452
13. Yonny HERNANDEZ – Kawasaki n ° 68 (SBK): 1 ‘42.035 + 2.173
14. Jacob WINS – Honda n ° 45 (SBK): 1 ‘42.060 + 2.198
15. Leandro MERCADO – Kawasaki n ° 36 (SBK): 1 ‘42,143 + 2,281
16. Toprak RAZGATLIOGLU – Kawasaki n ° 54 (SBK): 1 ‘42,168 + 2,306
17. Ondrej JEZEK – Yamaha n ° 37 (SBK): –

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